Machine for compressing cotton wads



Oct. 20, 1936. J 055 2,058,275

MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING COTTON WADS Filed Odt. 5, 1954 4 Sheefs-Sheet 1Oct. 20, 1936. J. A. vos's 2,058,275

I MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING COTTON WADS Filed on. 5, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2gimme /flSfP/f A. in 1 05.;

'Oct. 20, 1936.' .1. A. voss 2,058,275

MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING COTTON WADS Filed Oct. 5, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR. p/adf/ /v ,4 V0.95

ATTORNEY.

J. A. voss 7 2,058,275

. MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING COTTON WADS I -4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed 001;. 5,1934 INVENTOR.

-./aJP// ,4. V055 ATTORNEY.

Oct. 20, 1936.

Patented Oct. 20, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT- omen MACHINE FOBCOMPBESSING COTTON WADS Joseph a. vow, mm, Colo. Application October 5,1934, Serial No. 747,028

14 Claims. (cl. 18-16) This invention relates to a machine forcompressing absorbent cotton or similar material into relatively hard,self-sustaining. wads or cores. It is more' particularly designed forcompressing apiece of absorbent cotton into a relatively small, tightwad for insertion in the human vagina for catamenial purposes, but is,of course, not limited to this particular use.

The principal .object of this invention is to provide a machine for thispurpose which will rapidly, continuously, and efliciently formuncompressed cotton pieces into compressed wads.

Another object of the invention is to so con struct the device that itwill require but a minimum of power; will occupy but a of space; and sothat it can be easily and efllciently operated. a

A further object is to.incorporate with the compressing device, meansfor folding or .convoluting the cotton before the compression thereof.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of theinvention, which is designed for simplicity, economy; and eiliciency.These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention reference is, hadto the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. Like nu- Fig. 2.

Fig. 'I is an enlarged plan'view of the com-' pressing portion of thetable withthe top plate thereof removed.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section through the final compressing die.

Fig. 9 is a detail end elevation or the final compressing die.

Fig. 10 is a detail cross section taken on the line |o |u, Fig. 2.

merals refer to like parts in all views or the draw- Fig. 2 is the planview of the'table portion Fig. 11 illustrates a typical cotton pad as itappears ready to be fed to themachine.

Fig. 12 illustrates thepad in the compressed or finished condition afterpassing through the machine.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged detail view of the compressing extremity of theplunger employed in the machine.

The invention comprises a supporting frame Ill.

The frame l0 supports a feed table II extending over a major portion ofits length and a. compressing plate I! over the remaining portion. Thefeed table is formed with a longitudinal channel along its centeroutlined by two upstanding flanges or. ribs '3. The bottom of a channelopens through the bottom of a. table II between a pair of grooved trackmembers 35. The bottom of the channel is closed, preferably by means ofa glass plate l4. V a

A cross head I5 is arranged to reciprocate along the'track members I!below the glass plate ll.

The cross head carries a compressing plunger I 6,

which is mounted in the cross head against a compression spring ll.Suitable lock nuts l8 areprovided, to set' the position of the plungerI6 therein. The cross head is reciprocated along its tracks through themedium of a cylindrical drum 19 provided with a projecting cam track 20.A cam follower roll 2| is secured to the cross head I5 and rolls alongthe edge of the'cam track 20, as the drum l9 rotates. The plunger I6 isreturned, and the roll 2| is constantly held against .the track 20by-means of a tension spring I5 which is connected through a flexiblemember 16 with the cross head.

22 suspended in suitable brackets 23 extending downwardly from the feedtable II. It is rotated from a worm shaft 24 which extends laterally ofthe machine supported in suitable bearing brackets ii; The worm shaft 24carries at its .middle a worm 26 which meshes with a worm wheel 21bolted to one extremity of thedrum IS. .The worm shaft is driven bymeans of suitable belts 2! from a drive motor 29. The belts 28 transmitthe power through a suitable clutch 3') provided with a clutch operatinglever 3i.

The clutch operating lever is operatively con- I nected with a handlever 32 convenient to the operators position. The motion of the handlever 32 is transmitted through a series of cranks and levers, asillustrated, including a horizontal connecting bar 33. A roller 34 ismounted on the connecting bar 33 so as to bear against one edge of thedrum I9. This roller is constantly held 35 'The drum I9 is carried on alongitudinal shaft against. the drum edge by means of a suitable tensionspring 38. At one point, the edge of the v drum is is provided witha-depression 31 into which the roller 84 may drop so as to disengage theclutch 30. 'The operator then operates the hand lever 32'to re-engagethe clutch so as to start the rotation of the drum IS. The rotationcauses the roller 34 to hold the clutch 38 in engagement until theroller again reaches the depression 31. Thus each operation of the handlever 32 causes the clutch 88 to engage until the drum l9 has made acomplete revolution.

The forwardextremity of the plunger is passes.

through an inclined block 88 which is inclined to lead from the surfaceof the glass plate i4 to a guide block 39. The guide block 89 isprovided with an inclined passage 40 which leads to a compressingchamber 4|.

The top of the compressing chamber 4| is preferably formed of plateglass 42. The cotton to be compressed is laid on the plate l4 betweenthe ribs l3 and is forced therefrom through the guide in a series oftucks or convolutions so that it will reach the compressing chamber 4|in a folded or convoluted condition.

The initial compression is imparted to the convoluted cotton by means ofa pair of opposed side dies 5|, the inner extremities of which containsemi-cylindrical depressions which cooperate with each other to form theconvoluted cotton into a tight cylinder as they approach each other. Thecompressing movement of the side dies 5| is' imparted from a pair ofcompression cams 52 secured on a pair of cam shafts 53. The cam shafts53 are driven from the worm shaft 24 through the medium of suitableworms and worm wheels 54 and extend along each side of the machine insuitable bearing brackets 55. At each revolution of the camshafts, thetwo side dies 5| will be caused to approach each other to impart theinitial lateral compression to the cotton. The side dies are withdrawnand held in constant=con tact with the cams 52 by means of compressionsprings 58 positioned in suitable slots 11 in the dies. jll'he springs55 are compressed against studs '51 which extend upwardly from thecompression plate i2.

When the two side dies close to form the cotton into a cylindrical wad,the plunger l6 advan' as to force the cylinder into a final compressingdie 58 having a cylindrical bore I8 of the exact diameter of thefinished product. The compressed wad is prevented from passing initiallythrough the final compression die 58 by a pair of end gates 58 which arecaused to approach each other to close the bore in the die 58 by a pairof gate cams Oll-v which are also. secured upon the cam shafts 53. Thegates 59 are secured upon the extremities of pushrods 5| which terminatein rollers 52' against the caps '88. The rollers are constantly heldagainst. the cams by means of compression them snugly against the die 58as they close.

balls 85 receive the pressure of the wad as it is head to the compressedwad. The gates 58 are held tightly against the compression die 58 bymeans of balls 85 which contact with, and ride upon, inclined surfaces85 on the gates to force The forced against the gates. The pressure ofthe balls 85 against the gates is adjustable by. means of pressurescrews 81.

It was found that the great pressure of the cotton against the gatestended to lock them'in the closed position so that the action of thegate springs 63 was insumcient to open'the gates This is overcome byplacing a bevelled pin 88 in each of the gates between which thewedge-shaped extremity of a gatestarting lever 58 passes. The startinglever 89 extends over one of the cam shafts 53 so that it is contactedby a pin I during. a. portion of the revolution to force the'bevelledextremity between the bevelled pins 88 and to loosen and pry the gatesinitially open. The initial movement of the gates releases them from theballs 65, owing to the inclined surfaces 68, so that the springs 68 mayreadily snap the gates to the. open position.

The cam track 20 is so designed that when the clutch roller 34 is in itsdepression 31, and the clutch 30 is disengaged, the plunger I8 is in thewithdrawn position of Fig. the side dies 5| are in the withdrawnposition; and the gates 59 are in the open position. The tucking motor48 and the tucking blade 43 operates continuously.

It is desired to call particular attention to the construction of theextremity'of the plunger l8, as shown in detail in Fig. 13. Thisextremity is reduced in diameter along a gently curved contour, as shownat I9, immediately inside the extreme end. The end itself issubstantially the same diameter as the remainder of the plunger It. Adepression 80 is formed in the end face. The edges of this depressionare gently rounded into the external surface of the plunger, asillustrated.

The machine may be employed for compressing any style or shape ofuncompressed cotton piece into a highly compressed cylindrical wad. Suchan uncompressed piece is indicated in Fig. 11, and the typical finalcompressed product is indicated in Fig. 12. The piece illustrated isformed with a longitudinally stitched withdrawing string 8|, and whenfinally compressed carries a relatively soft mushroom-like head 82.

' Operation The operator lays a strip of cotton in the channel, and theblade quickly tucks this cotton into the compressing chamber. operatesthe hand lever 82 starting the rotation of the drum l8, and the camshafts 58. The first The operator then I8. The cam track now ascends, soas to force the cross head and the plunger forwardly until the entirecotton wad has been compressed into the final die 58.

At this point the cam trackis substantially fiat as shown at .12, whichallows the plunger to remain against the compressed cotton for aninterval of approximately $6 of a revolution. This holds the cottonunder compression a suflicient time for it to become set. The track then'de-' scends a short interval as shown at 13 so as to release thepressure of the plunger from the wad, at which time, the gates 59 open.The track then ascends to its highest point 14 to force the compressedwad through the open end of the final die to any suitable receiver. Theplunger and the cams then return to their initial starting position forthe reception of the second wad. When the starting position is reached,the roller 34 drops into the depression 31 to release the clutch 30 andstop the machine.

The compressed product as shown in Fig. 12

is formed with an enlarged head 82 caused by the mushroom-likedepressions 64 in the end gates 59. The rear of the plug contains asmall projecting teat 83 formed by the depression 80 in the extremity ofthe plunger [6.

It is desired to call attention to the shape of the plunger l6.Experiments indicate that the depression 80 allows the pressure on 'thecotton to be concentrated at the midpoint of the depression 8i], andthat the depression acts to reduce the pressure at the circumference ofthe wad. This was found to be necessaryto prevent cutting or damagingthe withdrawing string 8| at this point. The reduced extremity 19 on theplunger allows ample space about the plunger for the withdrawing stringwithout damaging the latter. It has also been found by experiment, thatthe pause of the plunger at the high 'point of compression, caused bythe flat length 12 on the cam 20, is a necessity in order to cause thecompressed wad to permanently retain its shape until moistened. If theplunger is immediately released after compressing the wad, the latterhas 'a tendency to expand after leaving the final compressing die.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described andillustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may bevaried, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired securedby Letters Patent 1. A machine for compressing ,cotton into a compactself-sustaining wad comprising: a receiving plate; a compressingchamber; a compressing die; means for passing said cotton from saidreceiving plate into said compressing chamber; means for impartinglateral compression to said cotton while in said latter chamber; meansfor passing said compressed cotton into said compression die and forejecting said compressed cotton from said compressing die.

2. A machine'f'or compressing cotton into a compact self-sustaining wadcomprising: a receiving plate; a compressing chamber; a compressing die;means for passing said cotton from said receiving plate into saidcompressing chamber; means for imparting lateral compression to saidcotton while in said latter chamber; means for passing said compressedcotton into said compression die and for ejecting said compressed cottonfrom said compressing die; and means for holding said cotton fromejection for a time interval.

3. A machine for compressing cotton into a compact self-sustaining wadcomprising: a receiving plate; a compressing chamber; a com-. pressingdie; an end gate closing the discharge of said compression die; meansfor forcing the cotton from the compressing chamber into the com.-

pression die; and means for opening said end gate at a predeterminedtime to allow ejection of said cotton from said compressing die.

4. A machine for compressing cotton into a compact self-sustaining wadcomprising; a receiving plate; a compressing chamber; a compressing die;side dies positioned to contract said compression chamber to impartinitial compression to said cotton; a plunger for forcing the initiallycompressed cotton intosaid compressing die; and a tucking member actingto pass the uncompressed cotton into said compressing chamber in aconvoluted or folded condition.

5. A machine for compressing cotton into a relatively tightself-sustaining wad comprising: a plate for receiving said cotton; forreceiving the cotton from said plate; a guide block for receiving thecotton from said inclined block; a compressing chamber for receiving thecotton from said guideblock; a compressing die for-receiving the cottonfrom said compressing chamber; laterally moving compression members insaid compressing chamber; and a longitudinally reciprocating plunger forpassing the cotton through said guide block and through said com--pressing chamber into said compressing die.

6. A machine for compressing cotton into a relatively tight.self-sustaining wad comprising: a plate for receiving said cotton; aninclined block for receiving-the cotton from said plate; a guide block.for receiving the cotton from said inclined block; a compressing chamberfor receiving the cotton from said guide block; a compressing die forreceiving the cotton from said compressing chamber; laterally movingcompression members in said compressing chamber; a longitudinallyreciprocating plunger for passing the cotton through said guide blockand through said compressing chamber into said compressing die, saidplunger passing through said inclined block; and

end gates for closing-said compressing die at predetermined times.

'7. A machine for compressing cotton strips into compact self-sustainingwads comprising; areceiving plate; a plunger reciprocating below saidplate; a passage extending from said plate to a position ahead of saidplunger; a compression chamber; means for imparting lateral compres-'sion in said compressing chamber; and means for passing the cotton stripfromsaid receiving plate into said passage so that said plunger mayforce it into said compressing chamber.

8. A machine for compressing cotton strips into compact self-sustainingwads comprising: a receiving plate; a plunger reciprocating below saidan inclined block plate; a passage extending from said plate to aposition ahead of said plunger; a compression plate; a passage extendingfrom said plate to a position ahead of said plunger; a compressioncomprising: a rechamber; means for imparting lateral compres-p v sion insaid compressing chamber; a tucking blade positio'nedabove saidreceiving plate; and means for imparting a relatively rapidreciprocating movement to said blade to cause the latter to tuck meansfor causing said side dies to approach each other to compress the cottonto a wad oi. a sizeto enter said bore; and means for imparting arelatively long stroke to said plunger for forcing said wad into saidbore.

11. A machine for compressing cotton strips -into compactself-sustaining wads comprising: a

pair of relatively flat, side 'dies; a bottom plate extending supportingsaid dies; a top'plate extending over said dies so as to form acompression chamber therebetween; a passage leading to said compressionchamber; a final forming die having a bore leading from said compressionchamber; means for feeding the strip into the passage; a plunger forforcing the fed strip between said side dies; means for causing saidside dies to approach each other to compress the cotton to a wad of asize to enter said bore; means for imparting a relatively long stroke tosaid plunger for forcing said wad into said bore; a pair of gate membersclosing the discharge extremity of said bore; and means for withdrawingsaid gate members to allow said wad to be dis-' charged.

12. A machine for compressing cotton strips sion chamber; side dies insaid latter chamber for imparting an initial lateral compression: tosaid strip; a-forming die leading from said compression chamber; andmeans for imparting a rela-,

tively long stroke to said plunger at a predetermined time to force theinitially compressed cotton from said compression chamber into saidforming die.

13. Means for feeding a strip of cotton into the compression chamber ofa compressing device comprising: a reciprocating member; a bladesupported at its one extremity by said reciprocating member andcontacting said cotton at its other extremity; and means forreciprocating said reciprocating member so as to cause said blade totuck said cotton and force the latter into said compressing device.-

14; In a machine for compressing cotton into a compressing die having abore extending entirely therethrough, two slidably mounted end gatespositioned to close one extremity of said bore at predetermined times,said gates contacting with each other substantially on the center lineofts'aid bore;

a starting element arranged to initially move said I gates to break thelatter loose from said cotton; and means. for opening said gates afterthe initial movement has been accomplished.

JOSEPH A. VOSS.

